Making The Difference
by Bluestocking Inc
Summary: The Best 39 Clues FanFiction' Challenge, Entry 1, Category B; Amy, Dan, Natalie, and Ian have reached the finish line. So who wins? Fame, glory... all that good stuff. But do they really want it? They can't go back... So what do they choose?


**Making The Difference**

Amy POV

She looked into the murky cave, glancing at Dan and Nellie, and then finally down the path at the Kabras; they were gaining quickly. _We are going to lose our lead._ She glanced back at the dark, dank cave in front of her, and wondered, _how did I get here? How did I go from a normal girl, to, if the legends were true, almost ruling the world?_

One answer: The 39 Clues.

Her whole life had been weird. The mysteries deaths, the freaky funerals, and finally, the amazing contest. But even here, she didn't have a real place. She had no branch. She didn't know about the race before hand, like the Kabras. She didn't have money, like Jonah Wizard. She wasn't burly and strong, like the Holts. And she wasn't cunning like Irina Sparsky. She just didn't fit.

But, sometimes, not fitting was perfectly okay with her.

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Dan POV

He looked at Amy. Her face was pained, and she was frowning. She noticed him looking. "I'm fine, Dan, don't worry."

He bet she was thinking about what was next. He knew he was. _What happens now? We become rulers of the universe, but what did that mean? What're we supposed to do?_

No, really, what? Would we sit in a stuffy office all day, ordering people around? Or would life go on like this had never happened?

_No. _said a voice inside his head. _You will never, ever be the same._

Deep down, he had to agree with the voice. This had changed him, and not always for the better. He was smarter, tougher, and much faster at thinking on your feet, but he had also learned that life was life, and it was unfair. But you try going in an all out battle with your cousins and coming out totally the same. It didn't work that way.

Sure, he had changed, but there was no way to go back, was there?

So, did he really want to win? After all the battling, hurt, and pain this had made him go through, did he even want it anymore?

Truth be told, he wasn't sure.

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Natalie POV

Her designer jeans were torn to bits, her Gucci bag was ripped, and her custom made Roxy shirt was covered in so much mud the original color was indistinguishable.

The old, snobby Natalie Kabra would have been horrified to see herself like this.

She would have yelled, screamed, and threw a tantrum to even consider wearing an outfit made from the common brand 'Roxy'.

But the new, tough Natalie just called over her shoulder, "Ian, we need to hurry!" They did need to hurry, and Ian was way behind her. It used to be that she was out of shape, and Ian was fit. Ian was still fit. She was just _fitter_. She smiled at the thought, and gave another burst of speed as she thought of Daniel and Annie winning.

They were going to win, she was sure of it. I mean, really, they were shoe-ins.

Right?

"Nat! WAIT!" shouted Ian, from behind her. She had totally forgotten him. She had forgotten her own brother!? What was wrong with her? This was… all wrong. Natalie Kabra is supposed to be utterly and completely perfect, in every way. That's what Mama had told her when she was little.

*_FLASHBACK*_

_Her mother was braiding her hair when she was but five years old. "Mama?" she had said, "Do you love me?"_

"_Of course, Darling, I love you in every way. For you are my perfect angel, and must always be perfect. This is why I love you, because you are unreservedly and utterly perfect."_

"_Papa, too?"_

"_Papa, too."_

"_Then I will always be perfect!"_

"_Yes, Sweetheart, now go to your personal tutor and…"_

_*FLASHBACK ENDS*_

She sighed. The new, improved Natalie Kabra would just have to try harder to be perfect.

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Ian POV

_C'mon, Ian, _he thought to himself, _try a little bit harder! This is the clues we're talking about! The Clues!_

The last two words rang in his head. This was the clues. And no matter how hard he tried, he had just gotten farther away from winning. Every time he told himself to go the extra mile, it seemed that that mile had been a U-turn that had taken him back to the start. Every clue had just confused him more than the last, eventually causing them to fall behind. It was just as his father had said.

_*FLASHBACK*_

"_Ian, you have taken the clues, yes?" said his father after the funeral._

"_Yes, father, I have," said Ian quietly._

"_My son, a normal father would not allow you to do this," said his father, staring down at Ian in a sad manner. "The 39 clues are a terrible contest! Each clue was designed to perplex you, dig yourself deeper into the clues grasp. Many have been driven mad, even killed, by the clues themselves. Not to mention the hunt, and the fierce competitors."_

"_You talk as though the clues are alive!"_

_His father looked at him mysteriously, "I have often wondered of that." He paused, and smiled. "Of course, there are good things that come through the clues. I met your mother while searching for them."_

"_But father—"_

"_Hush, you have a plane to catch, no?"_

_*FLASHBACK ENDS*_

He knew now that, to a certain extent, the clues were alive. They would always haunt him. He smiled. But, no matter who won, the clues were almost over. It was a lovely thing.

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Nobody's POV

Dan and Amy still stood unmoving, staring at the cave, when the Kabras arrived. Ian and Natalie looked in, and both felt what Amy and Dan felt, immediate fear. Nobody moved for a few moments. Then they turned to each other, and an immediate truce passed between them. Amy, Dan, Natalie, and Ian linked arms and walked into the cave, each with the same idea…

_We're going to tie, _they thought at the same time, _and I think I'm okay with that._

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**If you're wondering where Nellie is, she's at the bottom of the mountain. Don't ask me why, I don't know. This is a one-shot, so this is the only chapter. Again, this is for troubadour's 'Best 39 Clues Fanfiction' challenge so please review and VOTE FOR ME!!!! Thanks! ~Blue**


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